Tube-cleaner.



Nu. 649,839. Patented May I5, |900..

T. J. HART.

' TUBE CLEANER.

(Application h led Mar. 1, 1899.) (No Model.)

und. 4*

0 my Z n f UriiTnn STnTns PATENT Trice.,y

THOMAS J. HART, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE SHERYVOODMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TUBE-CLEANEa SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 649,839,dated May g, 1900.

Application tiled March l, 1899. Serial No. 707,287. (No model.)

ro all whom. it may concern: boiler or other source of supply for theactu- Be it known that I, THOMAS J. HART, a eitiating medium. To reducethe friction of the zen of the United States, residingat Buffalo, shellagainst the tube in moving it back and in the countyot Erie and State ofNew York, forth in the same, the shell is made smaller 5 have inventednew and useful Improvements than the internal diameter of the tube andin Tube-Cleaners, of which the following is a provided with longitudinalribs c, which hold specification. the shell out of contact with thetube.

This invention relates to that class of clean- The casin g is providedat a short distance ers which are employed for removing the scale fromits open end with a diaphragm D, hav- 6o 1o from the interior surface ofthe water-tubes ing apertures d, through which the steam or ofsteam-boilers and which comprise a rotary other actuating medium issuesagainst the head which is rapidly rotated by a turbine turbine wheel E,which is arranged in the wheel and arms which carry the cutters andoverhanging front part of the casing and ad which are pivoted to thishead in such manjacent to the outer side of the diaphragm D. i 5 nerthat the cutters are thrown out by cen- The latter is provided with acentral hub d',

trifugal force and brought in contact with the in which is secured anarbor F, which proscale to be removed. The cleaner' is usually jectsforwardly from this diaphragm and bcprovided with a tubular handlethrough youd the open front end 0fthe casino'. which the steam or otheractuating iiuid is G represents the rotary head or sleeve, 7o zosupplied to the turbine wheel and by which which is mounted on the arborF, so as to the cleaner is moved through the water-tube turn thereon andwhich carries the cutters in removing the scale therefrom. and theturbine wheel. The latter is secured The object of this invention is toconnect to the rear end of the head adjacent to the the cutters andtheir movable arms with the diaphragm D, and in order to reduce thefric- 2 5 rotary head in a simple and effective manner tion between thehead and the diaphragm, and to provide the rotary head with an adwhichresults from the backward thrust of the vance cutter which cuts into thescale in adcutters, a ball-bearing g is preferably interL vance of thecutters on the movable arms and posed between the head and thediaphragm. removes any excessive thickness of scale. ll represents themovable cutterarms, 8o 3o In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis whichare connected at their rear ends by a longitudinal section of myimproved tubetransverse pivots 71, to lugs or ears 71,', formed cleaner,showing the cutters on the movable on the enlarged rear portion of thehead G arms thrownin. Fig. 2is an elevation, partly adjacent to theturbine wheel, so that these in section, showing the cutters on themovarms can swing at their front ends toward and 35 able arms thrownout. Fig. 3 is a front elen from the axial line of the cleaner. Thesevation with the nut and cap removed. Fig. arms are provided withforwardlyprojecting a is a detached elevation of the advancecutlongitudinal journals t', which carry the usual ter. Fig. 5 isaperspective view of the same serrated steel cuttei-disks l. Thesecutters and ot' one of the disk cutters. Fig. 6 is a are preferablymounted upon sleeves i', ap- 9o 4o longitudinal section, on an enlargedscale, of plied to the journals t', in order to prevent the the frontend of the rotary head and the adcutters from wearing these journals.The vance cutter mounted thereon. Fig. 7 is a cutters are spaced byinterposed washers, as

cross-section in line 7 7, Fig. G. usual, and are held on the sleevesand the Like letters of reference refer to like parts latter on thejournals by washers 2 and cot-9 5 45 in the several figures. ter-pinsfis, applied to the front ends of the A represents a boiler-tube.journals.

B represents the tubular handle of the 7o represents arearwardly-projeeting stop cleaner, and Cthe shell or easing, which isseformed on the rear end of each cutter-arm in cured to the front end ofthe handle. The such a position that it comes in contact with Ico 5olatteris connected at its rear end,(not shown,) the rear portion of thehead ,Gr when the deas usual, by a flexible pipe with the steamn siredlimit of outward movement of the cutters has been reached. Thecontact-surfaces of the stop and rotary head are preferably so arrangedthat the outward movement of the cutters is arrested before the axialline of the cutters becomes parallel with the axial line of the head.This causes the axial lines of the several sets of cutter-disks to`converge forwardly when the cutters are in their outermost position, sothat the resistance which the cutters encounter in entering the scalewill `tend to swing the front ends of the cutters inwardly. This inwardpressure is counteracted by the centrifugal force, which tends to swingthe cutters outagainst the scale and holds them to their work. Theinwardly-inclined position of the cutters prevents the latter fromcatching in the scale and being wedged outwardly asv the cleaner ispushed forward through the tube.

L represents the advance cutter, which is secured to the front end ofthe rotary head, so as to cut into and remove any excessive thickness ofscale before the disk cutters enter the same. This cutter is providedwith as many outwardly-projecting armsZ as there are pivotedcutter-armsH-three being shown in the drawings. The front face Z' ofeach of these arms stands parallel with the axis of the rotary head andsuiciently in rear of the center line of the adjacent cutter-journal toenable the front portion of such journal to rest against this ilat frontface and find a support or abutment on the same as the rotary serratedcutters do their work. The disk cutters stand in rear of thesesupportingarms,and the front portions of the journals extend forwardlyacross the flat faces of the supporting-arms far enough to furnish agood support at the front end of the journal in all positions of thepivoted arms on which the disk cutters are mounted. Thesesupporting-arms Z are beveled at the front, the rear face Z2 of each armbeing arranged at an acute angle to the lon gitudinal front face,forming a front cutting edge Z3 on each arm. This cutting edge ispreferably inclined backwardly from the base to the free end of the arm,as shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5.

The supporting and cutting arms are mounted on a hollow hub M, which issecured to the front end of the rotaryT head G. The latter is providedat its front end with a reduced cylindrical neck n, Figs. 6 and 7, andthe hub M is provided in its rear portion m with a cylindrical bore bywhich it iits around this neck and against the shoulder formed by thesame at the front end of the rotary head. The hub is held againstturning on this neck by several longitudinal pins n', which are insertedin registering openings formed, respectively, in the rear portion fm ofthe hub and in the front portion of the head outside of its neck n. Thefront portion of the bore of the hub is larger in diameter than thecylindrical bore of the rear portion, forming in the front portion ofthe hub a cylindrical chamber O, in which are arranged an annular washerP and a circular row of balls p. The washer P lits around the frontportion of the arbor F and against the inner side of the front portionof the hub and is placed against the rear portion of the hub to preventthe pins n from leaving their sockets. The balls p are placed againstthe front side of the washer and are held in place by a cap Q, which mayenter the cavity of the hub, as shown. This cap is held in place by ascrew-nut q, applied to the front end of the arbor, and by bearingagainst the balls holds the hub and the head G on the arbor. These ballsrelieve the forward thrust of the rotary head. The hub M and its arms Zare preferably formed in one piece of steel by dropforging.

The spider composed of the hub M and arms Z forms a back support for thefront ends of the cutter-journals and also an advance cutter, whichclears away any unusual thickness of scale before the disk cutters enterthe same and relieves the disk cutters of that part of the work.

I claim as my invention- '1. The combination with the rotary head,

of longitudinal arms pivoted at'their rear.

ends to said head and free at their front ends, to swing at their frontends toward and from the axis of said head, longitudinal journalslformed on the front portions of said arms,

disk cutters mounted on said journals, which latter project forwardlybeyond said cutters, and a spider which is secured to said head in frontof said disk cutters and which has outwardly-proj ectin g armsconstructed with lon gitudinal front faces against which said journalsrest loosely in front of said cutters and on which said journals movefreely as the arms swing in and out, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the rotary head, of longitudinal arms pivoted attheir rear ends to said head to swing at their front ends toward andfrom the same and having longitudinal journals, disk cutters mounted onsaid journals, and a spider mounted on the front portion of said headand having its outwardly-projecting arms provided with cutting edges forremoving the excess of scale in advance of the disk cutters,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the rotary head, of longitudinal arms pivoted attheir rear ends to said head and free at their front ends, disk cuttersjournaled on said arms, and outwardly-projectiug spider-arms secured tosaid head in front of said disk cutters, said spiderarms forming backsupports for said longitudinal arms and having cutting edges forremoving scale in advance of the disk cutters, substantially as setforth.

4. The combination with the rotary head, of longitudinal arms pivoted attheir rear ends to said head to swing at their front ends toward andfrom the same and having longitudinal journals, disk cutters mounted onsaid journals, and a spider mounted on the IOO IIO

ITS

front portion of said head and having its out* wardiy-projeoting armsprovided With longitudinal faces which form back supports for the frontportions of said journals and also With cutting edges which remove theexcess of seaie in advance of the disk cutters, substantially as setforth.

The combination with the stationary arbor, of a rotary head mountedthereon and provided at its front end with a reduced neck, a spiderhaving its hub tted around said neck and provided in its front portionwith an enlarged bore or Chamber, a longitudinal coupling-pin arrangedin sockets formed in the rear portion of said hub and the front portionof said head, a Washer arranged in the enlarged bore of the hub againstthe front end of said pin, antifrietion-balls arranged in said boreagainst said Washer, and a cap whereby said balls are heid in saidchamber and the hub is held on the arbor, substantially as set forth.

Vitness my hand this 24th day of Febrw ary, 1899.

THOMAS J HART. Vitnesses:

EDWARD WILHELM, ELLA R. DEAN.

